NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 11/6/15

Will the Nuggets be the first team to hold Stephen Curry under 25 points tonight? Probably not.

If you've never played daily fantasy basketball before, it's time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you're able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every NBA night.

Today's lineups can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the night completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until tip-off, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible.

Let's get to it.

The Best of the Best

Stephen Curry - Nobody has been as good as Curry to open the 2015-16 season. Period. Just how good has the reigning MVP been? Our nERD metric is a player ranking that measures the total contribution of a player through the course of a season based on efficiency. nERD gives an estimate of how many games above or below .500 a league-average team would win with that player as one of the starters. The league average is zero. So far this season, Curry ranks number one in our player power rankings with a massive 49 nERD, which is more than double Jimmy Butler who ranks second with a 23.4 nERD. The Warriors star is averaging a ridiculous 35.8 points, 5.8 assists, 5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game and has scored at least 25 points in every outing this season. With a matchup against a Nuggets team that has allowed the fifth most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards this season, Curry is our top overall projected player on the board tonight.

James Harden - Despite a surprisingly slow start for the Rockets, Harden has still been a very solid fantasy asset so far this season. The star shooting guard has scored 23.8 points with 6.2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Harden has amassed the fifth highest Usage Rate in the league at 32.7% and gets an excellent matchup against a Kings team that has allowed the third most points per game (112), ranks 25th in Defensive Rating (109.1) and plays at the fastest pace in the league. Sacramento has also allowed the 12th most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards on the year. With his price tag dipping down to $9,800 on FanDuel and $10,000 on DraftKings, one of the most valuable fantasy commodities in the NBA is a perfect buy-low candidate tonight. Harden is our second highest projected player on the board behind only Curry.

Top Mid-Range Values

Brook Lopez - The problem with Lopez has always been health. However, whenever he is healthy and on the floor he has been spectacular. So far this season, the Nets' big man is averaging 20 points, 8 boards, 2 dimes and 1.2 rejections per game and has started all five games that Brooklyn has played. He is coming off of an impressive 27-point, 11-rebound performance against the Hawks and gets a dream matchup against a Lakers frontcourt that has allowed the second most fantasy points per game to opposing centers. Look for the Nets to run their offense through their star big man and for him to post another huge double-double en route to a big fantasy outing tonight.

Darren Collison - While he may go overlooked by many people tonight, Collison actually makes for an outstanding play. He has been starting at the two-guard spot with Rajon Rondo at point guard and has looked great doing so, averaging 14.6 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game. The Kings' veteran guard gets the pleasure of facing off against a Rockets backcourt that has given up the third most points per game, ranks 24th in Defensive Rating and has allowed the sixth most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards on the year. Collison can be had for a very reasonable price of $5,500 on FanDuel and $4,700 on DraftKings and should reach value easily in what Vegas expects to be the highest scoring game on tonight's slate.

Basement Ballers

Marcus Thornton - With Terrence Jones still sidelined with an eye injury, the Rockets will continue to play small ball with Thornton inserted into the starting lineup. In three starts this season, the Rockets' journeyman guard has averaged 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 32.3 minutes per game with a 21.2% Usage Rate and should have little trouble putting up at least similar numbers tonight against the defensively-challenged Kings, who remain without their best rim protector, DeMarcus Cousins. Despite his strong play while in the starting lineup, Thornton still costs just $4,100 on FanDuel and $4,000 on DraftKings making him an elite value play in what is expected to be a shootout with Sacramento.

T.J. McConnell - McConnell looked superb in the first start of his career, filling up the stat sheet with 7 points, 9 rebounds and a whopping 12 assists in 35 minutes of action. Although he has not scored the basketball much, the 76ers' rookie has averaged 10.3 assists and 6.1 rebounds on a per-36 minute basis and has accumulated a massive 50.1% Assist Percentage while on the floor. The former Arizona Wildcat will draw another start tonight and should see another massive workload for the second straight game. McConnell is an absolute steal at just $4,200 on FanDuel and $4,000 on DraftKings.